


Astraphobic

by bimbofish



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Astraphobia, F/M, Not Beta Read, Sharing a Bed, thunder storms, yamper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bimbofish/pseuds/bimbofish
Summary: “I’ll sleep on the couch.”  Piers’ voice tore her away from the thought of her face in his chest.“No!”  She whipped around, and upon seeing the look of shock on his face, quieted her voice.  “I jus- I just wanna make sure you’re okay throughout the night, y’know, just to make sure you don’t catch a cold or something…”  He cocked his eyebrows, she bit her lip.Piers shrugged.  “If you want me to help you through the thunder, just say so.”  Right, that was totally it.
Relationships: Nezu | Piers/Sonia (Pokemon)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	Astraphobic

**Author's Note:**

> the one bed trope is my ABSOLUTE fav... these two are a guilty pleasure of mine, please be nice...

Maybe staying late at the lab was the right idea, especially during a wild storm like this. Just a last little bit of research, Sonia told herself, carefully monitoring some eggs that showed early signs of beginning to hatch. Then it turned into trying to wait out the storm. Seated at her work table with Yamper clenched tightly in her arms, she didn’t hear a knock at the door. If her partner didn’t start barking and trying to scramble from her grip she would be too scared to notice.

But someone was at her door in this weather.

Sonia jolted from her seat and dashed towards the door, flinging it open to see a drenched figure before her. Without a second thought, she yanked them inside.

“My goodness! Oh, you shouldn’t be in that weather, oh you’re soaked… Piers?”

Matted locks hanging down in front of his face which was blurred with streaks of makeup. She didn’t know where to start, he looked like a lost puppy… A shaking lost puppy.

“Oh, u-uh, Piers, oh, there’s a shower this way, it gets hot pretty quick, c’mon we need to warm you up, I can get some clothes for you. I’ll start making some tea while you’re in there, do you need help taking off your shoes? Clothes? What can I do, talk to me.”

Sonia managed to push back a section of his hair to be greeted with dark purple lips, chattering as he tried to say something. Her heart sank. Just how long was he outside for?

“‘M f-f-f-fin-ne…” He stuttered, slowly peeling off his jacket and losing grip on it, wincing as it hit the floor with a wet ‘schlop’. He muttered an apology, Sonia immediately got to her knees, starting to unbuckle his boots.

“Here, at least let me help you with these so you can walk to the shower without stumbling.” She offered. He didn’t protest. In less than a minute, she managed to frantically loosen his boots and stand up to help him out of them. Unfortunately, she had to go all the way across her lab to the bathroom, a small little room with a standing shower.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Sonia began, “I’ll have tea and clothes ready for you when you’re done.” The door quietly shut behind him as she hurried to the upstairs. She had a second room in the lab in case she worked late. The wind slammed against the side of the building, causing the room to shake lightly. Sonia gulped.

She grabbed an oversized long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, biting her lip as she realized she couldn’t give him any underwear… She grabbed a fuzzy throw blanket to make up for it.

Trotting back downstairs, she left the clothes and blanket neatly outside the door, announcing they were there before scurrying off to the kitchen. She started heating water right away, combing through her selection of tea. Earl Grey would have to do, she neglected to ask how he liked his tea. If he wanted something different, she could make another cup.

Just as the tea finished seeping, she heard the bathroom door open and close. Looking back, she saw the clothes she left had disappeared. Sonia brought both the cups of tea over to a nearby couch, keeping a close eye on the door. Within a few moments, it opened back up. He wore the clothes he left for her with her blanket wrapped snuggly around his shoulders, hair tied up into a sloppy bun. His lips returned back to their normal color.

“Piers, how’re you feeling?” She asked, leaning forward.

“Better, thank you.” Her body relaxed. Her shirt fit him just fine but the pants were a little short.

“If you need socks or anything, I’m sure I can dig up a pair that I haven’t worn yet. They may be a little small, but it’s something.”

Piers shook his head, and with her blanket wrapped around him, he slowly took a seat next to her. They way he walked didn’t show any signs of stumbling, she was thankful for that.

“You’ve already done so much fer me.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “I don’t need ‘em ‘less you want me to wear ‘em.”

“Oh no, it’s fine if you don’t. I’m not a stickler for that.” She reassured. He reached forward to grab a cup of tea and took a sip. “If you don’t like it, I can make a different kind.”

Swallowing, he furrowed his brows. “Nah. It’s fine, I like it.”

“Okay.”

There was a crack of thunder outside. Sonia jumped and Yamper ran over to scutter up onto the couch and sit in her lap. Piers cocked an eyebrow.

“Scared’a thunder?” He asked. Sonia twirled her hair and avoided his eyes.

“Y-Yeah, have been ever since I was little. Don’t worry about me, I’m more worried about you.” He didn’t say anything, he just watched her closely. When she finally met his gaze, he smiled.

“Yer stupid.”

She blinked.

“I coulda been a burglar, y’know. What if it wasn’t me who came in, would you still treat ‘em the same?” He took another sip, a longer one this time. Sonia couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I didn’t let you in here so you could lecture me.” She huffed, he stayed quiet. Here she was, worried sick, and all he was doing was scolding her about stranger danger. She was his age, she wasn’t Marnie. He shouldn’t be talking down to her like that when she could’ve saved his hide. But he was worried about her. As much as she wanted to be mad, a small part of her appreciated hearing it.

She noticed his other hand rested in his lap, his fingernails still a slight shade of purple. With a ‘tch’, Sonia took his hand and began to rub his fingers between her hand.

“Are you still cold?”

“‘M doin’ better.”

“No sense of confusion, dizziness, no feeling cloudy at all?” She brought his hand up to her mouth and breathed on it, he snorted.

“No, professor.” Sonia smiled.

The atmosphere was cozy. Although the sound of wind and the occasional clap of thunder threw her off, the round of rain was always a comfort and sharing a space with another person always made her feel warm. The situation was different, yes, given that she was looking after someone, but the sensation of being a caregiver always brought about an unspoken pride.

It was even better considering the one she was caring for didn’t fight it.

As she kept rubbing his hand, Piers finished his drink. There was a flash of light. Sonia tensed. He pulled her into his chest without a word, she clenched her eyes shut and braced for the clap. It came, but with his arms holding her firmly against him it was enough of a distraction to deafen the noise. Once she was sure it was over, she lifted her head to meet eyes with Piers. He rubbed small circles in her upper back and blinked slow. Her head gravitated back towards his chest.

She could hardly remember the last time her grandmother held her like this when there was a storm. Maybe when she was really little, before she started her journey. Since then, she resorted to ducking under covers or clinging to Yamper with all her might. To have someone bigger than her coddle her and make her feel safe and warm was something she wasn’t accustomed to. She could get used to it.

“Yer warm.” Piers rested his chin atop her head. The vibrations from his throat tickled her scalp.

“Is that a good thing?” She asked. He hummed in agreement, she giggled and nuzzled her face deeper into him.

What was she doing?

Sonia peeled herself from him, despite his arms still securely around her. She really shouldn’t be getting this close, she shouldn’t. There wasn’t a good reason for it, there wasn’t any reason for it. She decided that it was because she didn’t want to let her guard down.

“Are you tired?” He always looked tired to her. It was dark out, and she wanted to make sure he got all of his energy back. “This isn’t going to let up for a while, it’s supposed to continue into tomorrow morning.”

He furrowed his brows, pushing himself off the couch and letting the blanket drape off his shoulders. “If yer invitin’ me to stay the night, then let me call Marnie and let her know where I am.” He trudged off to the bathroom, Sonia went to the front door and locked it. She’d have to get ready herself, seeing as Piers was dressed ready for bed.

The thought of him in her clothes made her skin prickle. She had to look back at him to make sure this was really happening. It was. A freebie shirt from a seminar she went to and a pair of her favorite sweatpants. Her chest swelled, she preoccupied herself with taking his cup from the coffee table and bringing it to the kitchen, forcing herself to focus on the steps of how to clean out a teacup.

As she was cleaning it out, she could vaguely hear his voice talk to Marnie over the phone, clarifying where he was, several ‘yes’es, a promise, a sigh, and a goodnight. She tried not to listen, she really did, but her mind was racing and it was him running through it.

In an attempt to retrace her steps, this all started when he held her, right? Maybe she was just flustered by a small sign of affection and confused it for something more. He didn’t seem willing to let go though, that's what hung her up. Her hand slowly circled a rag through the inside of the cup, letting her mind go wherever it wanted to.

“I’ll sleep on the couch.” Piers’ voice tore her away from the thought of her face in his chest.

“No!” She whipped around, and upon seeing the look of shock on his face, quieted her voice. “I jus- I just wanna make sure you’re okay throughout the night, y’know, just to make sure you don’t catch a cold or something…” He cocked his eyebrows, she bit her lip.

Piers shrugged. “If you want me to help you through the thunder, just say so.” Right, that was totally it. Placing the cup back into the cupboard, she wiped her hands on her lab coat and lead him upstairs to her room, Yamper scampering behind them. Shortly down a hallway and flickering the lights on to reveal a not-so-lived-in bedroom.

Empty walls minus a few pictures of her and the former professor when they were younger. A wardrobe, still open from when Sonia tried to find clothes for Piers, and a full-sized bed with purple sheets. Nothing special. Sometimes she did work on a table right next to the door, but that was rare. It remained decorated ready for work but untouched.

“Here, feel free to lie down. I’m just gonna get changed. Do you want to brush your teeth or anything?” She made her way back over to the wardrobe to fish out a tank top and gym shorts. The sound of a creaking bed told her he took the invitation.

“Skippin’ a night won’t hurt.” He grunted, she turned around to see him wriggle around as he tried to get comfortable. She frowned.

“I’m sorry that it’s gonna be a tight fit, the couch isn’t very comfortable to begin with and I’d hate to have you almost get sick then ruin your back all in one day. I’ll be right back, just gonna get changed.” She dipped her head and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Just as she left, she could see Yamper wiggle his haunches, ready to pounce upon the bed.

She changed right outside the door, stripping down to just her underwear and putting on her change of clothes. Her makeup was already gone, thank goodness, she cleaned it off just before lunch as she wasn’t expecting to be meeting with anyone else that day. Gathering her dirty clothes, she grabbed her shoes and went back into the room.

Carefully dropping her dirty clothes into a laundry basket and placing her boots beside them, she wanted as Yamper sat on top of Piers’ chest, one hand behind his head and the other scratching behind his ear. She smiled, and upon Piers noticing her presence, he shifted towards the wall to allow her more room. He pulled up the comforter for her to get nestled in next to him and suddenly she felt chicken. Oh, to run out of the room and pretend she wasn’t sharing a bed with a friend who she thought maybe more than a friend in her eyes and pretend none of it happened. But that wasn’t the case. She crawled in beside him, he let the covers fall over her.

Yamper scurried off of Piers’ chest to lay at their feet, something he always did with her so it was no surprise, but it left the two of them face to face, noses barely an inch away from each other. Sonia shifted around, looking down at the sheet that covered her, tugging it over her shoulder.

“The more nervous you act about it the worse it’s gonna be for yourself.” She could feel her face grow hot within seconds. She knew he was right, but that didn’t make her feel any better. He was so close, barely touching her. He could feel his knee bump up against hers and she swore she felt a jolt rip through her.

“Should I turn off the lights?” Sonia asked, he shrugged. It was enough of an excuse to get out of bed and take a breather. Only a few seconds in, oh boy was she in for a night.

The lights went out and she returned back to bed. This time, she felt his hand prod around until it met hers. His fingers laced between her own, lightly hooking around the back of her hand.

“What’re ya so scared of?” His words cut through the rain like a knife. She didn’t want to say, she felt deep inside she knew but that’s what she was scared of. Her fingers squeezed his hand.

“Scared of messing up, I guess… I dunno, I haven’t been this close to someone in ages. It’s making me, like, feel weird.”

He paused, she couldn’t read his face in the dark. “Weird?”

Sonia screwed her eyes shut. “Yeah, like… I can’t describe it. I just feel all tingly. It’s not a _bad_ sensation, I’m just not used to it.”

He sighed through his nose in a way that suggested amusement. She wanted to convince herself that he was mocking her, especially with the way he pulled her close and parted her legs with his knee. His intentions were unclear, but with his face nuzzled into her neck it brought about a sense of relief.

“Yer lonely.” He teased. She rolled her eyes and wrapped her around his waist, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling of each little breath against her shoulder.

A flash of light filled the room. He held her tighter as she burrowed her face into his neck and flinched. The thunder sounded right above them, louder than any one that came before this one. Sonia whimpered, gritting her teeth together as her nails dug into his back. The rumble only lasted for maybe five seconds, it felt ten times as long to her even with Piers rubbing her back and shushing her, reassuring her it was going to be okay. She could feel it ringing in her ears, all throughout her body.

It was a while before Sonia relaxed her grip on Piers, forcing herself to open her jaw and flex her fingers. The more she came back to her senses, the more aware she became of his hand on her back, another bracing her head. She tried to pry herself from his grasp only to feel zapped of any and all energy. She sighed into his neck and closed her eyes.

“Thank you.” She whispered against his skin. He pressed a kiss against her cheek. That’s the last she remembered feeling before fading out of consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> next chapter is gonna be nsfw, stay tuned
> 
> edit 6/3/20: i lied no nsfw im pooped


End file.
